From Repetition Poem to "Envelopoemas": Concrete Tautologies in Paulo Bruscky's Political Poetics

Abstract

This article examines key works by Brazilian contemporary poet and artist, Paulo Bruscky, including Poema da repetição, Poesia viva, his Mail Art, and "envelopoemas." It argues that throughout Bruscky’s practice, it is possible to identify a poetics with circuits of signification that refer back to the material signs that constitute the work itself. It considers how this strategy builds from techniques forwarded by concrete poetry, as well as how Bruscky’s work intersects with a range of internationally practiced contemporary arts. Rather than a myopic, inward looking practice, Bruscky’s poetics generates significant opportunities for political messaging, even at its most tautological.